Eat Like The French

It’s been called the French Paradox: The problem of how a nation of butter-lovers, cheese-eaters, Gallic-cigarette-smokers, croissant-munchers, and red-wine drinkers have lower rates of obesity and a lower incidence of heart problems than most health-conscious North Americans.

The stats don’t lie, I’m afraid. Only 8% of French citizens are overweight, compared to 50% of Americans; while only 7% of the French are obese, compared with a whopping 22% of Americans. The French eat four times as much butter, 60% more cheese and nearly three times as much pork as we do, and they consume more total fat and much more saturated fat. But — and here’s the punch line — according to the British Heart Foundation, in 1999 the French averaged a mere 83 deaths from heart disease per 100,000 males aged 35 to 74 years, compared to a staggering 230 in the U.S.

The French Paradox was first theorized in 1819 by an Irish doctor, Samuel Black, but was popularized in North America in 1991 when 60 Minutes aired an article expounding the virtues of a diet that included red wine — so much so that wine manufacturers even briefly lobbied to have their products labeled as health food! Believe it or not, the French Paradox is mostly true — on the surface it would seem that the French have a much worse diet than we do — but there is, of course, more to the story than just eating sticks of butter and drinking gallons of booze.

Read on as we reveal some of the weight-loss secrets of the French.

french diet, american lifestyle

Dr. Will Clower researched the French Paradox and revealed some of its secrets, while debunking some of the myths we commonly hold about diets. “The French break every rule our experts swear will make us fat. Wonderful creams, butters and full-fat cheeses (so much for the fat-free theory) are spread daily onto fresh baguettes (so much for the carbohydrate free theory)… Despite our brilliant science and dreadful predictions, their diet leaves them thinner and healthier than us, without even trying."

eating a la francaise

Change is easy — in this case — and there are a handful of simple steps you can take to make the French Paradox work for you. Remember, it’s quality not quantity that counts.

The French might eat rich, fatty foods for every meal and follow up lunch and dinner with dessert, but they eat less per meal than we do. A study of portion sizes across Paris restaurants showed a mean size of 9.8 oz, compared with an average in Philadelphia of 12.2 oz — about 25% more. What’s more, Philadelphia's Chinese restaurants served 72% more food than the Parisian ones. A supermarket soft drink in the U.S. was 52% larger, a hot dog 63% larger and a carton of yogurt 82% larger. In other words, we eat lots — too much, actually.

If you want to stay slim, eat smaller portions and don’t keep eating until you think you may burst. Nutritionists say a serving of meat, for example, should be no larger than a deck of cards. Take smaller bites and finish each completely before taking the next. Taking smaller bites and allowing more time for them to digest enables the body to better process what you’re feeding it and gives it more time to process what’s there. Moreover, it will take less time for your body to realize it’s full.